The Best Holiday Gift Picks from the Pros

“I travel a ton, and as much as I want to support all my local people, I love that [with Tonx] I get fantastically roasted coffee from a different place every two weeks in the mail. Chemex brewers are only about 40 bucks; they make this pure, simple cup that eschews all the technology to give you the nuances in the coffee really well. Everybody makes fun of being a geek with food or coffee, but now people are just realizing hey, geeks do a lot of things better” (brewer, $37 at amazon.com; subscription, from $24 for two shipments at tonx.org).—Hugh Acheson, Empire State South

Photo Courtesy of Chemex Corp.

2/11

The Gray Kunz Spoon

“At the restaurant, we can’t have an employee without a Kunz spoon in their knife kit—they need to have one to plate on the line. Gray Kunz designed them when he was at Lespinasse. It’s the perfect-size spoon for everything—saucing, plating, scooping—it’s kind of amazing” ($5; jbprince.com).—Scott Conant, Scarpetta

Photo Courtesy of Gray Kunz

3/11

Winter Truffles

“I love to give friends a single, fresh, black winter truffle from the Perigord. The French truffle company Plantin always has the best black winter Perigord truffles on the market” ($45 per ounce; plantin-truffle.com.—Fabio Trabocchi, Fiola

Photo Courtesy of Plantin

4/11

Cocktail Bitters

“I just started using a new pimento bitters from Dale DeGroff that I love. It’s like Angostura on steroids. It’s perfectly imagined, it gives you the sense it’s been on the market for 100 years” ($11; kingcocktail.com).—David Page, Shinn Estate Vineyards and Farmhouse

Photo by Phil Jimcosky

5/11

Sheep's Milk Ice Cream

“I recently discovered Negranti Dairy’s sheep’s-milk ice cream in Paso Robles, California; but they also ship their products nationally. They make clever, farm-fresh flavors like salted brown sugar, raw honey, and strawberry-basil. I’m also intrigued by the health benefits of sheep’s milk: They say it’s higher in protein and lower in saturated fats, and more easily digested than cow’s milk. And for people like myself who are lactose intolerant, we’re able to enjoy it more” ($65 for six 16 oz. pints; negrantidairy.com).—Jeff Cerciello, farmshop

“I’m a big fan of the Zingerman’s bacon of the month club. I’ve been subscribing to it for about 10 years. I first got it as a gift from my staff. And then I probably do it for 8 to 10 people a year—it depends on how much I like them!” ($100 for 3 months; zingermans.com). —Michael Symon, Lola

Photo Courtesy of Zingerman's

8/11

Meat Slicer

“Every house should have a meat slicer. There’s a great Italian one sold by a company in Canada called Consiglio’s for just a few hundred bucks” ($450; consiglioskitchenware.com).—Ethan Stowell, How to Cook A Wolf

Photo Courtesy of Consiglio's

9/11

Infused Olive Oil

“I love Agrumato lemon olive oil. I’m usually not a huge fan of flavored oils, but this company does it really well. It’s nice for finishing fish or vegetables, and is not overly expensive” ($23; amazon.com).—Jenn Louis, Lincoln

Photo Courtesy Amazon.com

10/11

Cast-Iron Pan

“Lodge is local to us in Tennessee, and a cast-iron pan, unlike most pans, lasts pretty much 100 years if you keep it in good shape. They’re inexpensive, and they get better with age” ($19; amazon.com).—Hugh Acheson, The National

Photo Courtesy of Lodge Manufacturing

11/11

Victorinox Paring Knives

“They’re always so sharp, and they’re lightweight and feel good in the hand, they’re ideal for small jobs. Plus if I lose one or one gets dull, they’re so cheap I just get another. You don’t have to carry them in a special protective case like you do with bigger chef’s knives” ($5; webstaurantstore.com).—Malika Ameen, ByMDesserts